Die-casting and foundry equipment from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, converters, ladles, ingot moulds and casting machines of a kind used in metallurgy or in metal foundries, heading 8454, carried 0% on goods from China on all five lines, including parts, with no anti-dumping measure.

Die-casting moulds (dies) are classified as moulds under heading 8480, and furnaces under 8514 or 8417, so confirm the commodity code for each item of a cell, and see our injection moulds guide for tooling.

Machinery rules

Each machine placed on the UK market must meet the essential health and safety requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, with a declaration of conformity, marking and instructions in English. The type standard for pressure die-casting cells is BS EN 869, which covers guarding against metal splash, die-closing hazards and hydraulic safety.

Hydraulic systems on large die-casting machines run at high pressure and use fire-resistant fluids near molten metal, so ask for the hydraulic circuit, accumulator certification and fluid specification.

Specifying a machine

Specify clamping force, die platen size and tie-bar spacing, shot capacity and injection speed, alloy (aluminium, zinc, magnesium), hot or cold chamber, die-height range, ladling and extraction automation, spray system, cooling, controls and data logging, voltage and supply, and the spares, commissioning and training package.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 2 cold-chamber aluminium die-casting machines under 8454 30 10 00. At £230,000 free on board and £14,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £244,000. With 0% duty on die-casting machines, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £244,000, or £48,800. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Dry run and trial: run the machine at the factory through full cycles and, where possible, cast your part, checking clamp force, shot curves and cycle time against the quotation.

Safety: check guards, interlocks and metal-splash protection at the die area against BS EN 869, test every emergency stop, and check the electrical panel against BS EN 60204-1.

Hydraulics and documents: check hose ratings, accumulator certificates and leak-tightness, and check the declaration of conformity, English manuals, hydraulic and wiring diagrams and spares list before crating.

What goes wrong

Die-casting machines fail on shot performance, hydraulics and support. Injection curves and cycle times fall short of the quote, hydraulic leaks appear after shipping, accumulator paperwork is missing, controls are hard to repair, and commissioning takes longer than planned.

Witness a trial, check hydraulic and pressure documentation, and plan commissioning and spares before shipment. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources die-casting machines, ladles and foundry equipment for UK and overseas foundries, checking the builder's references and workshop before an order. See factory verification.